


A Mabari Runs Through It

by MalcolmInSpace



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-07
Updated: 2016-10-07
Packaged: 2018-08-20 02:33:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8233039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MalcolmInSpace/pseuds/MalcolmInSpace
Summary: When two mabari meet under the moon one night, they begin something that links together heroes and families.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [buhnebeest](https://archiveofourown.org/users/buhnebeest/gifts).



They only met once, but that was enough. Fate, or the Maker, needs only the smallest opening. 

It was raining, soaking the town of Lothering like an extra blanket of misery. The king was dead, the Blight was coming, and a bedraggled river of humanity wended through the town. They came across each other in the dark.  Three travellers camped outside of town with no idea of the trials to come. Three siblings slept in their beds, not knowing that soon they would be two.  And two mabari went for a nighttime prowl. 

They met under the full moon, just as the clouds finally parted.  They were tentative, cautious at first. Then joyous, bounding, dancing in the moonlight.  They were mabari, not fettered by the future but alive in the moment.  They parted as the sky began to lighten, rubbing muzzles one last time.  Barkspawn left muddy tracks across the Hawke kitchen, but she had no regrets. 

Soon the Blight came and scoured away the town of Lothering like a sand castle at high tide. 

Barkspawn’s belly began to swell during the long, sea-sick crossing to Kirkwall. She gave birth not long after they arrived, a mewling, rollicking litter of mabari pups. Gamlen was furious, of course, but the happy pups were like a balm to hearts aching with grief for their home, their sibling, their child. 

The pups grew, and soon Barkspawn and her four offspring were a known sight among the Ferelden refugees. They would walk the camps like any other resident, being fed scraps by people yearning for home and play with the children.  As the pups approached a year old, they began to choose their partners in the manner of mabari. They would approach their chosen person, perhaps a child with whom they’d bonded, and sniff them, and lick them, and sit down with them as though to say, “Here. Here is my place, and here I shall stay.” The native Kirkwallers were baffled by this, but Fereldens understood. 

One day, years later, there came a knock on the door of Hawke Manor. It was a Ferelden girl, maybe twelve years old. By her side was her mabari, a brindled female named Shipwreck, and in the girl’s arms was something that made Hawke’s heart break. A box of puppies, eyes still closed and fur patchy.  The wept as she told Hawke that the pups weren’t healthy and that her family had neither the room nor the money to care for them. 

Hawke brought the girl, the four pups, and Shipwreck inside. They sat by the fire and settled the pups in a blanket by the warmth.  Barkspawn came and nuzzled her daughter and her grandpups. Bodan was sent out for mare’s milk and bottles. They fed the pups and massaged their limbs. Evening came, and the girl’s mother came to take her home. Shipwreck kissed her children, not knowing if it would be for the last time, and followed her human out. 

That night, Hawke and Barkspawn slept on the blanket in front of the fire, next to the basket of pups.  The house was quiet, empty bedrooms and memorial pictures, but in that little circle of warmth there was peace again. 

Hawke stayed with the pups for days, and soon the others came to help.  Merrill would sit with them, nursing them from a bottle and telling them stories. Anders just sat, puppies in his lap, the tension around his eyes softening.  The girl and Shipwreck came to visit as often as they could.  The puppies lived from one day to another, and then they began to thrive.  Their eyes opened and they walked around on shaky legs.  The runt, it quickly became clear, was blind in one eye, but he was the most gregarious of the pups, gamely nosing about and climbing into laps.  Merrill named him Brightheart, and it stuck. For the first time in a long time, there was life in the Hawke Manor. 

 

Kirkwall was burning.  Most of the fires had been doused or burned themselves out, but a haze of smoke still hung over the lower city and the Gallows.  The pile of rubble that was once the Chantry still flickered with unearthly flames. 

Cullen knocked lamely on the shattered doorframe at the front of Hawke Manor. A chunk of rubble thrown out by the explosion had punched a hole in the upper floor, and looters had done the rest. He crunched over the rubble as he walked into the main hall.  A soft growl announced his presence.  Hawke was there, sorting through the mess. The elf apostate, Merrill, was there, too, as well as a trio of mabari. 

Cullen sketched a bow to her, and then to the dogs.  “Hello, Hawke. Merrill. Dogs.” 

Hawke looked up and frowned. Cullen could feel her bristle, and he could see the hackles go up on the dogs.  “What do you want?” Hawke asked flatly. 

Cullen scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. “I heard you were leaving.” 

Hawke nodded and turned back to the detritus she was sorting through.  “Yeah. Your friends from Val Royeaux are coming and I’m frankly sick of answering to Templars.  And there’s nothing left for me here.” 

“Where will you go?” 

“None of your business,” Merrill said tartly. 

“Fair enough,” Cullen said safely.  He shrugged.  “Just… just know that you have a friend in me if you need one.  I can’t stop what’s coming here, but I can… I can try to make sure they don’t know where you’ve gone.” 

Hawke looked him in the eyes for a long time.  Eventually she nodded. “Thank you, Cullen.  And for what it’s worth, I hope you come out of this alright.” She opened her mouth to say more, then stopped and stared down towards Cullen’s knees. 

Cullen felt a warmth there, suddenly, and looked down.  One of the mabari had walked over to him and was now sitting by his feet with her head pressed against his knee. She looked up at him with soft brown eyes, and Cullen felt something shift inside his chest. He kneeled down to stroke her head and she pressed her big, square head into his hand. 

“Well,” Hawke said, her voice softening, “it’s about time.” To Cullen’s questioning look, she said, “She’s a bit late in choosing her partner.  I guess we shouldn’t be surprised, given that we named her Stubborn.” 

“Stubborn,” Cullen repeated, tasting the word. At her name. the mabari grinned and her stumpy tail twitched.  “Wait, what do you, ‘partner’?” 

Hawke laughed a short laugh. “You’ve been around Fereldens this long, and you haven’t heard the stories?” 

“Of course I’ve heard them, but…” He shrugged. “They’re stories, folklore.” 

Merrill laughed lightly, and Hawke grinned. Stubborn whuffed low and put a paw on his knee. “Oh, you have so much to learn. But for now, you need to know that once a mabari has chosen her partner, it’s for life. You are her human, you belong to her now, for as long as you both live.” 

Cullen looked at Stubborn with wonder, and she looked back. “So I guess the stories about how smart they are aren’t just stories?” 

Stubborn whuffed again, and gave him a stern look. 

Hawke turned to Merrill. “I don’t think we’re going to fine anything else here. Why don’t you take Barkspawn and Brightheart out to…” She glanced sidelong at Cullen. “To the meeting place.  I’ll get Stubborn settled with Cullen and join you there by nightfall.” Merrill nodded and hopped off her perch. Brightheart, who has chosen Merrill almost the moment he could walk, followed close by her side, his head swinging back and forth so his one good eye could see everything. Barkspawn nuzzled Hawke for a moment, and then followed after. 

Watching them, Cullen was struck by the depth of the bond between them, and then he looked down at Stubborn and she was gazing back and he realized that that same bond was forming between them. 

“Come on,” Hawke said. “There’s some supplies you’ll need, and you’ll need to know where to get them yourself. There’s a Ferelden shopkeep down in Lowtown that should have everything you need. Food, mostly, probably a collar and harness. Mabari don’t like being leashed, but if you don’t do it often, and explain the need for it she’ll probably consent.” 

Cullen frowned. “So they really understand what we’re saying?” 

“Yeah. They can follow complex commands, and you can have a basic conversation with them.  How much they understand of higher concepts, and how much language they have of their own we’ll never really know, but all the folklore about their intelligence doesn’t get it wrong.” 

Cullen chuckled. “So they’re definitely smarter than some Templar's I've commanded."  Stubborn gave a soft growl and put her paw back on his knee. He laughed.  "Okay, most Templars."  Stubborn barked happily.  He rubbed the side of her neck, and she leaned into him.  "We'll have to get a bed for you, too," he said, thinking of his spartan quarters. 

Hawke laughed, the first genuine laugh he'd heard from her in a long time.  "You can buy one," she said, "and if you ask politely she might even use it sometimes.  But you should prepare yourself to have a lot less room on your bed.  Especially once she's full grown." 

Cullen looked at muscley bulk of Stubborn.  "What do you mean, 'full grown'?" 

Hawke laughed again. 

 

"That," Hawke said to herself as she looked up Skyhold looming over her, "is one big castle."  Brightheart whuffed in agreement. 

Varric met them at the gate, and they hugged long and hard.  He turned to greet Brightheart and the dog nearly knocked him over.  Varric laughed, then looked around.  "Where's Barkspawn?"  A look of panic shot across his face.  "She's not..." 

Hawke waved her hands.  "No, no.  She's just getting a bit... elderly for this sort of trip.  She stayed with Merrill and the clan, and Brightheart agreed to come with me."  Brightheart barked in confirmation. 

Varric fluttered a hand over his heart.  "Well that's good.  I don't think I could take losing another friend.  Come on, this way."  He took them through the gate, the questions plain on the guards' faces, then into the gatehouse and up the wall.  "If you're thinking I'm trying to hide you," Varric said, slightly out of breath from the long climb, "you're right.  I want you to have a chance to talk with the Inquisitor alone before... others... find out you’re here."  There was a note of trepidation in his voice, but Hawke didn't push it. 

The view from atop the wall was breathtaking, though the wind was biting.  "I could get used to this," Hawke said.  Varric chuckled, then started to lead the way along the wall. 

Brightheart whuffed, low and resonant.  He was staring fixedly in the opposite direction.  "What is it, boy," Hawke asked.  Brightheart looked back over his shoulder and whined at her, but didn't move to follow. 

Varric followed Brightheart's gaze.  "Ah, right.  That tower there, that's Cullen's office.  And bedroom, I guess." 

Hawke smiled at Brightheart.  "You smell your sister?"  The dog barked and wagged his stumpy tail so hard his whole back end vibrated.  "Alright, go say hi.  I'll find you after I'm done."  The dog took off like a shot, barreling along the rampart towards the far tower. 

Varric watched the mabari go with a fond expression.  "There's a lot about you Fereldens I don't get," he said, "but that is something I definitely do."  He sobered.  "Come on.  Let's go talk about Corypheus." 

 

Cullen was sitting on the floor with the two mabari when Hawke arrived.  He looked up and beamed to see her.  Hawke was struck to see the change in him, compared to the last time they'd met.  They clasped hands warmly and talked about dogs.  Stubborn was delighted to see Hawke, though she was more interested in cuddling with her brother. 

Hawke frowned to see the stiff way Stubborn was walking.  Cullen looked a little abashed.  "I know, she doesn't seem well.  It started a few weeks ago.  She's eating plenty, and sleeping fine, but I'm getting pretty worried." 

Hawke leaned forward and inspected the dog, then chuckled.  "Are there other mabari here, in the army?" 

Cullen shrugged.  "A few.  Where Fereldens go, mabari follow." 

"Well, there's going to be a few more, soon."  Hawke laughed again to see Cullen's confusion.  "She's pregnant, Cullen." 

It was like the sun breaking out from an overcast sky.  Cullen was delighted.  "So that's why that big brindle keeps sniffing around," he laughed, rubbing Stubborn's neck.  She whuffed happily.  "I just assumed Leliana was feeding you too many treats."  Stubborn growled.  "Oh, right, sorry, you can never have too many treats." 

 

The puppies arrived on a stormy night, with thunder and wind shaking the tower.  There were three of them, healthy and adorable.  Cullen eventually had to bar the door to his tower to stop the steady stream of admirers and give the exhausted Stubborn a chance to rest and nurse her pups. 

The pups grew and grew, and by the time spring came they were a fixture around the castle.  The war room table had chew marks on all the legs, and the cooks were always delighted to host Stubborn and her train of squeaking, brawling pups for a special midnight dinner.  They explored the castle, giving more than one guard a heart attack as a puppy tried to scale the ramparts or fall through a murder hole.  In fact, the only place they never went was the bottom floor of the library tower. 

To everyone's surprise, Leliana was the first one to be adopted by a pup.  The pup in question was a dark, bluish grey with white accents on her feet and forehead.  Leliana named her Shoes and fitted her with a silk collar. 

And then fate came full circle. 

It was a brilliant, sunny summer day.  The castle garden was warm and quiet.  A boy sat reading on a bench.  His mother watched him from a balcony.  She watched as a mabari, young enough that it was still all gangling legs and oversized paws, came sniffing into the garden.  Morrigan cocked an eyebrow, and beside her Leliana chuckled.  "I don't know how, but those dogs always find the children." 

"It's probably the smell," Morrigan said dryly, fondly.  "They never bathe as much as one might wish." 

"The dogs, or the children." 

"Yes." 

Keiran didn't notice the mabari until he put his head in Keiran's lap.  The boy startled, then put his book down and practically melted into the dog.  Leliana rubbed Shoes's head and chuckled again.  "Looks like your family just got a bit bigger," she said. 

"Hurrah," Morrigan said in that same dry tone. 

"Actually," Leliana said with the smugness she had when she knew something someone else didn’t.  "It makes sense." 

Morrigan raised an eyebrow, but didn’t turn from watching her son and the mabari.  They were playing now, rolling on the ground and jumping on each other.  It was the most animated she'd seen her son in a long time.  He almost looked like a normal, happy child. 

"After I was chosen by Shoes here, I spent some time talking with Varric about the mabari.  That one, and Shoes, are the children of Stubborn.  Stubborn is the child of Shipwreck.  Shipwreck is the child of Barkspawn, Hawke's companion.  But I gathered Barkspawn's pregnancy was something of a surprise.  So I did the math, and the timing says that Barkspawn got pregnant just before the Hawkes left Lothering." 

Now Morrigan turned to her, and Leliana could see the realization in her eyes.  Leliana smiled and went on.  "And there were no mabari in Lothering, so Hawke always assumed it happened while they were fleeing across Ferelden to the coast.  But there was a mabari in Lothering, just that one day." 

Morrigan smiled.  Her son had been adopted by the descendant of the same mabari that even now was accompanying the boy's father in the Deep Roads.  Through those dogs, her family was linked together until the day when they were reunited. 

**Author's Note:**

> A thank you for running this excellent exchange. : )


End file.
